7/7 inquests: minute's silence held for victims of London bombings

The inquests into the 7/7 London bombings have got under way at the Royal
Courts of Justice in London with a minute's silence for those who died.

Hugo Keith QC, counsel to the inquests, began the hearing by reading out the names of the 52 victims of the 2005 attacks.

The coroner, lawyers, bereaved families and members of the public in the courtroom and a separate annex then stood for a minute's silent tribute.

Opening the hearing, the coroner, Lady Justice Hallett, said: "We are here today to resume the inquests into the deaths of the 52 innocent people who were killed as a result of the bombs in London on July 7 2005.

"I should like to take a moment to remember them individually.

"Mr Keith shall read out each of their names and then I shall ask all of us who can stand to do so for a minute's silence in their memory."

Bereaved families welcomed the coroner's investigation, saying it would finally give them the chance to ask officials questions about whether their loved ones could have been saved.

Hugo Keith QC, counsel to the inquests, began a two-day opening statement summarising the issues that the hearings will examine over the next five months.

This will be accompanied by never-before-seen video of the wrecked Tube carriages and bus, and extracts from emergency calls to London Underground's control centre.

The inquests have a wide-ranging remit to examine whether the emergency services' response was adequate and whether MI5 and the police could have prevented the 2005 atrocities.

But relatives of the victims have expressed concerns about the Security Service's apparent reluctance to assist the hearings.

Graham Foulkes, whose 22-year-old son David was killed in the Edgware Road bombing, said MI5's attempts to keep details of its alleged failings secret were "really distressing" to the families.

The Security Service last week angered families by proposing that the coroner, Lady Justice Hallett, should be allowed to sit in closed session to hear highly classified evidence.

Mr Foulkes said: "Here they are, drawing a salary to do a job which they clearly have not done.

"And they're employing every legal twist they possibly can not to be accountable.

"It really adds to the anguish that we're all feeling.

"It's very clear that they just waved two fingers at the coroner. They're deliberately frustrating the process."

Mr Foulkes, from Oldham, Greater Manchester, said he planned to attend as many days of evidence as he can.

Ros Morley, whose husband Colin, 52, from Finchley, north London, also died in the Edgware Road attack, said: "I want the inquests to look at whether any mistakes were made or flawed systems were in place.

"Innocent citizens in the UK and worldwide need to know that they are protected now and in the future.

"I hope it is possible to gain something positive out of a deeply tragic event in which 52 innocent people lost their lives."

The inquests are also hugely important for the more than 700 people injured in the blasts, although the coroner has ruled that they cannot be legally represented or ask witnesses questions.

Four suicide bombers armed with homemade explosives packed into rucksacks launched co-ordinated attacks on three Tube trains and a bus on July 7, 2005, in Britain's worst terrorist atrocity since the 1988 Lockerbie bombing.

It has taken so long to hold the inquests because they could not start until after the trial of three men accused of helping the attackers choose their targets.

The trio were cleared of the charges at Kingston Crown Court last year, although two of them were convicted of conspiracy to attend a terrorist training camp.

After Mr Keith's opening statement, Lady Justice Hallett, who is sitting without a jury, will then hear details of how the bombers travelled to London.

After this, evidence will be called relating to the scenes of the four attacks - first Aldgate, followed by Edgware Road, King's Cross and Tavistock Square.

The inquests will then cover the backgrounds of the bombers and general issues like forensics and the command of the emergency services.

They will finish by looking at the question of whether security agencies could have prevented the attacks.

Inquests for the four bombers - Mohammed Sidique Khan, 30, Shehzad Tanweer, 22, Hasib Hussain, 18, and Jermaine Lindsay, 19 - were adjourned and will not be held alongside those of their victims.